Tis' the Season.

A little early xmas gift each :)

Tis' the season to be jolly. Isn't it?

I don't know about you, but I'm still in denial that we're 14 days into December, and just a fortnight away from saying goodbye to 2012. How can it be just days until 2013? A year has almost passed since this post, yet it feels like it was just a couple of months ago! CRAZY!

I love her little handmade additions to the tree this year.

Since returning home from Japan a week ago {today} we have done A LOT, yet hardly done a thing. If that makes any sense?! We came home to discover a little blow to the guts, that hurt us emotionally and financially; but like all blows - we're finding ways to accept, repair and move on. On top of that, Chris had to go away for most of the week on an interstate business trip.

But, he's home now......the count down to Christmas is officially ON......we're settling into December rituals and traditions.....and we're enjoying homey days as well as the social busy-ness of this time of year. Ella's ballet concert is just days away, which we're all super excited about and having family coming up soon from down South to celebrate the Christmas period is making the festive season even more delicious.

Chris organised Santa's Message for Ella - the Portable North Pole via email. VERY cool. I teared up watching her watch it.

I'm loving the process of gift buying and wrapping....and trying to make it as thoughtful and meaningful as possible. And of course: writing cards and taking corny photos of my kids in Christmas get-up makes me happy this time of year.

It truly is a magical time of year. Don't you agree?

A cheap, handmade piece of Christmas Decor :)

Brought these little Guys back from Osaka.

December is always about getting together with friends and family, enjoying good food and the odd drink, lots of laughs & gift exchanging, delving into a little bit of childhood magic and simply being appreciative of what we've got, and what we can do for others. 

However, with that said, it's also like every other month....where bills & payments are due, routine is required, appointments need to be attended, meals cooked, messes cleaned and deadlines met. Work continues. Life continues! But because of the Christmas touches everywhere you look and the contagious joy that is thick in the air - all of those things become a little more fun, a little more bearable and a little less mundane. Sparkly lights, wrapped parcels, baked goods, glasses clinking together in celebratory fashion, families together, memories being made and cherished - make this time of year my all-time FAVOURITE!!! Life seems simpler yet more abundant this time of year!

I know that is not the case for everyone. Unfortunately, there are people who find this time of year extremely hard - they're dealing with broken hearts, grief, shattered memories and hard times. And some people have shockingly negative memories of Christmas from their own childhood and this in turn causes a cycle of occurrences or actions.

This makes me more aware of people's stories, and more interested in people's pasts. This time of year, as we spend & celebrate & love & live big; I try to do what I can to give back to those people who are without. Without love or food or shelter, or happiness. I'm hoping it's the little things that make a difference....a smile, a listening ear, a monetary donation to charity, gift giving to strangers and spreading positivity; at what should be a time of joy. 

Cheers to making the most of what we've got and dreaming big for the future....whatever our past!

After all, tis' the season to be jolly.....

All of our Christmas books....easy access...under the tree.

Ella - armed with $15 - hit the $2 store with her Nanny and bought Xmas prezzies for Chris & I. She chose the items, and wrapped them. :)))

And it was a good Friday.

Today is Easter Good Friday. And what a GOOD Friday it was!

Like most days lately, it started in a blur {severe broken sleep is taking it's toll on me}, but once I was downstairs & had caffeine running through my veins, we were in full Friday speed :)

Ella & I kicked off the day with some more Easter craft:

I bought an egg painting kit to do today....however we opened it to discover half the stuff was missing from the box {jibbed}. So we dumped that plan and simplified it to painting some foam eggs & smothering them in glitter. As my Mum says "you can never have too much glitter!" :)

Her independence still catches me off-guard. Not so long ago, crafting sessions with her required me to do most of the work. Now, I get her set up, throw in my two-bob & away she goes. She's creative & arty & loves to do it her way!!

I love the lead up to special celebrations. All of this week, we've talked about Easter. We've crafted and we've planned. Whether you're religious or not, there's always something worth celebrating. Through basic activities with my kids, I'm hoping to instill in them a knowledge & understanding of special events and a love of celebrating & following traditions. Making memories each & every year. Using these times to reflect & learn & look forward.

The end crafty result:

Ryder woke from his morning nap after a piddly 25mins & I almost cried with exhaustion as this 9kg boy likes to be carried ALL.THE.TIME. However being a public holiday, Chris was only doing half the amount of work as normal {the joys of being self-employed....you never seem to 'stop' working} so he whipped up the most amazing healthy lunch. It was divine!!!!!!!! The man can cook :) teamed with a fresh fruit & vegie juice...yum!

The next occurrence was an amazing thing....Ryder slept for TWO HOURS!! This, my friends, rarely {aka...never} happens. He's famous for his 20minute power naps. Expecting him to do his usual mini-sleep; I shoveled down my lunch, skulled a coffee, played with Ella & then sat down to write, expecting to hear his cries through the baby monitor....they didn't come. So, I kept writing, Ella kept playing, Chris kept working. So, we watched a whole kid's movie {Coraline....man, that movie is weird!}......yet, the boy was still snoozing. I even had time to sit with pen & highlighter and READ!!!!!!! Read a grown-up book. All to my self.

It was lovely.

And due to his lovely lengthy nap, Ryder woke in a wonderful mood & the relaxation continued while he happily played & sister overtook my laptop:

She's discovered ABC for Kids online.

For the first time since Ryder was born, I got to sit & read & relax for more than 5 minutes, whilst having my content babies right there with me..... Friday bliss! I told you it was good Friday.

Ella asked if we would come upstairs to her room, so we could camp with her! No idea what she was on about, I grabbed Ryder & we headed up. She had set up her tent, built a ring fire with cotton balls and made 'marshmallows on sticks' {cotton balls on pencil tips}. Creative much?? So, we sat fireside & roasted marshmallows & all crammed into a play tent to sleep & hide from hoooing owls ;o) Never a dull moment with her around, this sassy little lady of ours!

"Mum! Enough with the photos! PLEASE!

We followed that up with some fresh air out in the front yard. Sprawled out on picnic rugs, we soaked up the peace & serenity of our new neighbourhood. Have I mentioned that I love it here? :)

Not the best angle I know. But I love how he grabs his feet...so cute.

Days like this. Moments like this, diminish the frustrations of all the sleepless nights & exhausting moments of Motherhood. I have two thriving, healthy, amazing, spirited children who love so big.....blessed truly is the best word to sum that up! The love I have for these two burns holes in my Soul daily.

We ended the day with a sunset walk around our 'hood', an early dinner, an early bedtime for the kidlets & a chance to relax & blog before 8pm!

Happy Good Friday to you all! Cheers to a wonderful, love-filled weekend.

What did you get up to on this holiday?

Building Bears & Bowling......week-a-boo.

Saturday afternoon called for hot cocoa. It was rainy, dreary & muggy. It was definitely not cold.....but the look of the evening just yelled "Hot chocolate weather!!". So, my girl & I enjoyed a mug of sugary goodness. And it was gooooood. 

I'm totally over this rain! It has rained almost non-stop since the week of Ella's party. Our backyard is a sludgey mud pit, the local park is almost a swimming pool & when we drove past the beach yesterday; instead of seeing the usual horizon of aqua blues & glittery silver waves.....we saw a mush of chocolate coloured wash. Everywhere & everything feels damp and getting washing done is, well.....not really happening! OVER IT!

On Saturday, I was just about to loose it. I had cabin fever & it felt like the walls of our living room were closing in on me. Most of the time, I like the balance of homey weekends, where we do puzzles & make messes & squeeze in nanny naps in the afternoons. But not at the moment, I feel forced inside & I hate that. I really did not feel like doing yet another Dora puzzle or round of Princess Bingo for the 15th time.

Then Chris's parents called & said they were dropping in for lunch. Thank goodness! It broke up the afternoon perfectly & my cabin fever nicely dissolved. We enjoyed wine at 1pm.....because we can :) It was nice!

Somone wants to roll.

Sunday, we braved the wet, slippery roads & headed out as a family of 4, for our 'Annual Build A Bear Day'. We've been doing this around Ella's birthday every year since she was born.....a little tradition that we'll continue until she's too old & too cool for stuffed bears :)

Four Years - Four Bears.

It was kind of sad & kind of exciting at the same time, to see how much Ella has grown....even since this time last year. She hardly needed our help this time. She chose the toy, followed all the steps with little assistance & even typed the details onto the Bear's Birth Certificate at the computer! I guess that's another cool thing about traditions.....even though you're doing the same thing over & over again, it's still different; you get to see it in a different light, at a different stage, a different feel. It's refreshing & reassuring all at the same time. I love creating traditions & memories with my family.

Stuffing the bear, putting her heart & voice in and stitching her up. All while little brother looks on from his pram.

Grooming the new bear.

Creating the birth certificate.

The finished product.

Introducing our latest 'build a bear' member....CANDY!

And Ella paid for her herself, using some birthday present money :) Thanks Pa Ken!

Hmmm.....Mummy needs to iron more often I think :)

We then went upstairs to the Cavill Ave Timezone. It's basically a buzz of serious over-stimulation & chaos.....but a lot of fun, especially on a rainy day of forced inside play.

Chris got right into it :) Ella was a little overwhelmed by the noise at first, but then sister relaxed & had a blast! Ryder just looked around & took it all in from his pram....this boy likes to chill & observe :)

We played away the rainy blues!

And bowled.....

Not sure what's going on with these last 2 photos.....they were a nightmare to upload on here & now they look all blurry! Ah well. You get the general gist of the bowling experience. 

I love weekends :)

Now, to get ready for the busy week ahead.....sister is off to 3 full days of Kindy this week, Chris is having surgery on Wednesday, I've got some invitation & print orders to complete.....and a photo/blog project I'm kicking off on Wednesday :)

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Talking of prints.....

Have you seen my 2 new ones in the 'rainbow range'?......

Both available to buy HERE in my webstore.

Have a great week everyone.

Dear Santa......

This will be Ella's 3rd Christmas :) And although she has been happily involved & entwined with the magic of the last 2, it is this year {as she's near 3 yrs of age} where she seems to "really GET it!"

This year, she's old enough to know what's going on around her! And.....she LOVES it! I guess she has no choice in the matter.....being surrounded by my constant chatter & smiles & excitement of Christmas....it's all she knows! And I love that! I want her to LOVE Christmas, I want her to seep it all in! Because I really do believe this truly is the season to be jolly :) I want her to know that at the end of each year, there is this amazing period of celebration, reflection, appreciation, giving & loving! During the busy months & hard working seasons of each year......I want her to know there's light at the end of the tunnel! There's a time in December where we can all unwind, relax & LIVE! I want her to look forward to the traditions, the holidays, the experiences & the enchanting feel of this worldwide celebration!

In my pre-life {before Motherhood}, one thing I really looked forward to when I had the status of "MUMMY".....was to absorb my child/ren into the season of Christmas! I had visions of doing Christmas craft with my child/re, baking with them, wrapping presents, looking at lights & nativity scenes in the neighbourhood, reading books of Santa's adventures, singing corny carols & tunes and going totally overboard with decorations & traditions! And for the past 3 years, I couldn't think of anything better than seeing Christmas & summer & family through the innocent eyes of a child.....MY CHILD!

Earlier this week, we did our yearly tradition.....a letter to Santa:

We sealed it up in a sparkly-sticker infested envelope & mailed it off to the North Pole.....along with this year's Christmas cards to all our family & friends!

And with only 2 days until the School Holidays.....I'm loving the joy in the air at the moment :)

What do you love about Christmas? Is it one main thing.....or a string of them like me?

Have a fabulous Thursday my friends!